Overhead trolley.



UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. BYERS, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA.

OVERHEAD TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION Vforming part of Letters Patent No. 721,147, dated February-24, 1903. Application filed April 11, 1902; Serial No. 102,450. (No model.)

To aj whom t Wto/,y concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. BYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Butler, in the county of Butler, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Overhead Trolleys, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying draw- 1ngs.

This invention relates to an overhead trolley, and particularly to means for retaining the trolley-wheel in contact with the wire and for insuring an electrical contact with the wheel when passing from one trolley-wire to another. A

The invention has for vits object to provide a construction of overhead trolley embodying guard wheels and rollers at opposite sides and in front and rear of the trolley-wheel and adapted to move toward and from each other to permit the free removal of the trolley-wheel from the wire when the wheels and rollers are separated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of trolley-wheel having an extended flange or rim adapted to coperate with a novel construction of plate extending between the ends of adjacent trolleywires at right-angle crossings, switches, and other angles and in electrical circuit therewith, whereby the liange of the wheel will keep the same in electrical circuit when passing from one wire to another in making cross'- ings and switches. v'

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth, and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective of the overhead trolley; Fig. 2, an end view thereof; Fig. 3, a vertical section through a connecting-plate between adjacent trolleywires, showing a trolley-wheel in contact with the plate; and Fig. 4, a detail'perspective of the top of this'plate.

Like letters of referenceindicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings."

The invention is adapted to be applied to any desired form of trolley-pole-for instance, as indicated at A-which is provided with the horizontally-disposed portion A at the upper end thereof, upon which the trolley-wheel B vwhen in operation.

is mounted by means of standards B', con- VB guard-wheels D and rollers D2 are pivotally mounted to move toward and from each other above and at either side of the conducting-wire. Theseguard-wheels D 'are' preferably pivoted at the upper ends of the springarms D', which arms when in operating position stand perpendicular, and supported upon the friction-rollers D2, which fill the space on D between the clamps D3 (upon which they rest) and the guard-wheels D, so as to rotate if brought in accidental contact withv the wire O when the car is in motion. Each'pair of guard-wheels D is adapted to travel in a horizontal position, the rims of each pair of wheels squarely adjacent or contiguous with each other. The point of contiguity when in position is directly overthe trolley-wire, but admits of a sidewise-swinging motion The arms D' are passed through clamps D3, within which they may be vertically adjusted, and held by a setscrew D4 or by swaging, riveting, or otherwise, and these clamps are pivoted at D5 to a at the front and rear of the trolley-wheel B,

IOO

will cause the upper ends thereof to approach each other, thus separating the contact-wheels I) and permitting the convenient removal of the trolley-wheel from the wire or the placing of the same in contact with the wire. For the purpose of preventing an accidental separation of the guard-wheels one of the ends E8 may be provided with lugs E4, adapted to embrace the opposite end and to be separated from the same by springing the ends laterally from each other. Each of the ends is also shown as provided with an angular portion E5, having an aperture for the connection of asuitable cord or rope,which maybe fastened to r'ear end of the car to prevent levers from being thrown out of position while car is in motion, which levers may be separated by springinglaterally and then moved away from each other in the plane of the pivot to operate each pair of the guard-wheels, one pair in front and the other at rear of the trolley.

wheel.

The connecting-plate C, before mentioned, may be constructed of any desired conducting material by pressing or molding and the trolley-wires electrically connected therewith by any preferred means-for instance, the depending hangers C2. This plate may be of anydesired configuration suitable for rightangle or other` Crossovers or switches at any angle and is provided with depressions C3 upon its face, either parallel with the trolleywire C or in alinement therewith. In the present illustration the depressions C3 are formed in an integral plate by stamping the same to forni a crossover-plate, as shown in Fig. 4, and extend upon opposite sides of the line of the wire C, so as to receive the extended flanges B4of the trolley-wheel B,which travel therein and maintain a constant current to the motor of the car in passing from one conducting-wire to the other. It will also be seen that these iianges extend above the guard-wheels D, which are thus free to leave the wire at one side of the plate and pass over the wire at the opposite side without contacting with the plate, the anterior pair of wheels D passing over the crossing and coming in contact with the hanger and the wire in front before the rear pair of wheels has left the wire and hangers at rear of trolley-wheel. The construction of plate also guides the trolley-wheel in its passage from one wire to the other, preventing the possibility of lateral displacement and the consequent diiiiculty of engaging the wires at the opposite side thereof.

It will be obvious that changes may be made in the details of construction and configuration without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an overhead trolley, a trolley-pole and trolley-wheel mounted thereon, and guardwheels at the front and rear of said trolleywheel and pivoted arms mounted upon opposite sides of said trolley-wheel and carrying said guard-Wheels at their upper ends and adapted to be simultaneously moved toward and from each other; substantially as specified.

2. In an overhead trolley, a trolley-pole and trolley-wheel mounted thereon, guard-wheels at the front and rear of said trolley-wheel and adapted to be simultaneously moved toward and from each other, depending loops connecting the guard-wheels upon each side of the trolley-wheel, and an operating-lever for moving these loops toward and from each other; substantially as specified.

3. In an overhead trolley, a trolley-pole and trolley-wheel mounted thereon, guard-wheels at the front and rear of said trolley-wheeland adapted to be simultaneouslyvmoved toward and from each other, depending loops connecting the guard-wheels upon each side of the trolley-wheel, an operating-lever for moving these loops toward and from each other comprising pivotedA members having separated upper ends and parallel lower ends; substantially vas specified.

4. An overhead trolley comprising a pole, a wheel supported thereby, opposite guardwheels at one side of said wheel, arms for supporting said wheels, clamps connected to said arms, and a bracket supported and insulated from the trolley-pole within which the inner ends of said clamps are pivoted; substantially as specified.

5. An overhead trolley comprising a pole, a wheel supported thereby, opposite guardwheels at one side of said wheel, arms for supporting said wheels, clamps connected to said arms, a bracket supported and insulated from the trolley-pole within which the inner ends of said clamps are pivoted, means for supporting said arms in a substantially vertical position when the guard-wheels are in contact, and means for throwing said arms into a position at an angle to the vertical position; substantially as specified.

6. In an overhead trolley, a pole, a trolleywheel supported therefrom, guard-wheels in front and rear of said trolley-wheel, arms upon which said wheels are mounted connected at their lower portions by a loop, a pivoted lever having separated upper ends connected to said loop and parallel lower ends, and a liange carried by one of said lower ends to engage the other end for retaining the same against movement; substantially as specified.

7. In an overhead trolley, a pole having a horizontally-disposed upper end, a trolleywheel supported therefrom, guard-wheels and friction-rollers in front and rear of said trolley- Wheel, pivoted arms upon which said wheels and rollers are mounted connected'at their lower portions by a loop, a pivoted lever having separated upper ends connected to said loop and parallel lower ends, a flange carried by one of said lower ends for retain- IOO IIO

IIL'

ing the same against movement, an extended lange upon said trolley-wheel, and insulated brackets upon the upper end of said pole to which each pair of arms is pivoted; substantially as speciied.

8. In an overhead trolley, a pole, a conduct- Y ing-wheel having an extended flange thereon,

conducting-wires, and a conducting-plate connecting said wires and provided with a groove extending entirely across the plate in a parallel plane above said wires to receive the ange from said Wheel; substantially as specified.

9. In an overhead trolley, a pole, a cond ucting-Wheel having an extended flange thereon, conducting-wires, a conducting-plate provided with a plurality of intersecting depressions extended entirely across one face thereof disposed in a parallel plane above said wires adapted to receive the flange of a trolley-Wheel and guide the same from one wire to the other substantially as specified.

10. In an overhead trolley, a pole, a trolleywheel supported thereon, arms supported by said trolley-Wheel at opposite sides thereof and having extended ends at the front and rear of said trolley-wheel, guard-wheels pivoted on said arms, a iiange extending from the core of said trolley-wheel above said guard-wheels, and means for simultaneously shifting said arms and guard-wheels at the front and rear of the trolley-wheel; substantially as specified.

11. In an overhead trolley, conductingwires, a at connecting-plate extending between said wires and having grooves or depressions impressed upon the body of said plate and extending entirely across the samev hangers at the edges of said plate for supporting said parallel-wires in a plane parallel to and below said grooves; substantially as specied.

13. In an overhead trolley, a trolley-pole, a trolley-Wheel mounted thereon, pivoted arms at opposite sides of said poles and extended to the front and rear of said trolley-Wheel, and friction-rollers adapted to rotate on said arms; substantially as specified.

14. In an overhead trolley, a trolley-pole, a trolley-wheel mounted thereon, arms at the front and rear of said trolley-wheel, a series of friction-rollers adapted to rotate on said arms, guard-wheels at the upper ends of said arms rotatable independently of said rollers, and means for simultaneously moving said arms toward and from each other; substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. BYERS.'

Witnesses:

S. M. BIPPUs, NETTIE L. TURNER. 

